LWF representatives and Caritas Nepal team after signing the MoU in the Caritas Nepal office. Photo: LWF
“Result of increased recognition of the two organizations’ expertise and capacities”
In Nepal, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) World Service and Caritas Internationalis will closely collaborate in humanitarian and development work. Both organizations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a country level to work together more closely.
The MoU was signed one year after a Declaration of Intent between LWF and Caritas Internationalis, was signed at Malmö arena, Sweden on 31 October 2016. The Declaration of Intent was a part of the Joint Lutheran-Catholic Commemoration of the reformation anniversary, jointly hosted by LWF leadership and Pope Francis in Lund and Malmö, Sweden.
The initiative has been developed as a result of increasing recognition among the two organization’s’ expertise and capacities in the field of long-term development, and humanitarian programming, similarities of overall goals and priorities and each other’s commitment to the people of Nepal.
LWF and Caritas Internationalis have been working together for decades, addressing the root causes of poverty and humanitarian crises. “The initiative has been developed as a result of increasing recognition among the two organization’s expertise and capacities, and each other’s commitment to the people of Nepal,” says Allan Calma, LWF Regional Program Coordinator.
Dr Prabin Manandhar, Country Director of LWF Nepal, and Father Krishna Bahadur Bogati, Executive Director of Caritas Nepal, signed the MoU at the Caritas Nepal office on 10 November 2017. The main purpose of the 5-year MoU is to institutionalize the long-standing partnership and work collectively in fundraising, develop common tools and instruments, exchange good practices and learn and complement each other wherever possible.
“This MoU opens avenues to work together in many areas,” Father Bogati, said. “We will pursue opportunities to implement jointly”, Dr. Manandhar added. “We look forward to work together in the days to come.”
Calma said that he was impressed by the collective efforts made so far and added that it was great that the first country-level MoU between the two organizations had been signed in Nepal.
